Manhunt for Montana bar shooting suspect continues with up to $10K reward offered

A manhunt for the Iraq military veteran suspected of fatally shooting four people at a bar in Montana continued for a fourth day on Monday.

On Friday at around 10:30 a.m. local time, Michael Paul Brown, 45, allegedly walked into the Owl Bar in the rural town of Anaconda and opened fire using a personal rifle, killing four local residents, according to local authorities. Police say Brown then fled the scene.

The Montana Department of Justice released a photo of Brown taken soon after Friday’s shooting, according to Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen. The photo shows Brown, wearing dark boxer shorts and running shoeless down what appears to be a concrete stairway. Authorities believe he fled in a stolen white Ford F-150 with clothing and camping equipment.

“At this point, we have every reason to believe the suspect is fully clothed, shoes on his feet, able to get around,” Knudsen said on Sunday.

The attorney general said law enforcement pursued Brown in the vehicle, but when they realized he was likely armed, they pulled back. When police eventually caught up with the vehicle, Brown was not in it.

As of Aug. 4, Brown remains at large, and authorities consider him to be armed and dangerous.

Who are the victims?

Knudsen confirmed the identities of the four victims on Sunday as bartender Nancy Lauretta Kelley, 64, and three bar patrons: Daniel Edwin Baillie, 59; David Allen Leach, 70; and Tony Wayne Palm, 74.

Brown lived next door to the Owl Bar and was a regular patron. “I think it’s likely that he knew the bartender and these patrons, which makes this even more heinous,” Knudsen said in a Friday news conference.

What we know about the suspect

Brown is 5’10” tall, weighs 170 pounds and has blue eyes and brown hair, authorities said Saturday.

He is a military veteran who served in the Army from January 2001 to May 2005, and also served in the Montana National Guard from April 2006 through March 2009. Brown was deployed to Iraq from February 2004 to March 2005. He left the service at the rank of sergeant, an Army spokesperson confirmed to Newsweek.

Brown was known to local law enforcement, had a criminal record and also had access to firearms, according to Knudsen.

People who know Brown, including his niece Clare Boyle, say he has had mental health struggles, according to the Associated Press.

“This isn’t just a drunk/high man going wild,” she wrote in a Facebook post cited by the AP. “It’s a sick man who doesn’t know who he is sometimes and frequently doesn’t know where or when he is either.”

What has been involved in the search efforts?

Knudsen said there’s been a vigorous law enforcement response from local and federal partners. Authorities have focused their search in an area west of Anaconda, on Stumptown Road, the direction where Brown was last seen, and expanded it to Barker Lake and the surrounding area.

“I know at one point yesterday we had over 250 boots on the ground that were helping out with the manhunt and engaged in trying to find this suspect,” the attorney general said Sunday. Assets include canine detection units, infrared and heat detection used by air, drones and authorities searching camping and hunting sites.

On Monday, the U.S. Marshal Service posted on X that a reward of up to $10,000 would be offered for any information leading to Brown. The agency has also set up a tipline at: 1-8-77-WANTED-2.

“We want to find this guy. This is a dangerous individual who has committed an absolutely heinous crime against this community and these victims,” Knudsen said.

He added that the public should remain vigilant, as there’s a concern that Brown might come back to the town.